Washington Capitals: Remembering that amazing 2018 championship run
The scene in DC
One week prior to June 7th, my dad and I were looking at Stanley Cup Finals tickets for Games 3, 4 or 6. With the prices being insane, I had an alternative idea which my dad nodded his head on. Instead of going to a game, we were going to go to an away game watch party. I happened to suggest we’d go to the Game 5 one, little did we know what was in store that night a week later.
The Caps had won Game 2 at that point and were coming home. They would win Games 3 and 4 at home. After winning Game 4 and being one win away from the Cup, we knew we were in store for a special night for Game 5.
We get on the metro and there’s people everywhere. People even sitting on the floor who couldn’t get seats. I’ve been to large events like opening day but I’ve never seen it that packed.
When we got to G street where they were showing the game outside the arena on the big screens, I ran into my good friend Andrew Gillis. He’s now with NBC Sports Washington covering the Caps but growing up we talked Caps hockey nonstop and he even helped me get Stars and Sticks off the ground a few years ago. He had just graduated college and we both talked about how we were looking forward to this night for so many years.
When Vegas had their long pregame intro the crowd was booing but they went nuts when the Caps character actually stopped the Golden Knight before he rallied toward the end. We weren’t inside the arena, we tried to get tickets for inside but the computer crashed and they sold out. But outside it was a party.
The energy outside was unlike anything I had seen before and we sent good vibes to the team who was all the way out in Vegas looking to get the job done. Even when the Caps were trailing entering the final period, there was no negative energy whatsoever.
When Eller put the puck past, or should I say further behind, Marc-Andre Fleury, it sent the city into an euphoric hysteria that hasn’t been seen in these parts in a long time.
When Ovechkin handed the Cup to Backstrom, myself and fans around me let it all out. We had all waited for that moment our whole lives and somehow Backstrom and Ovechkin had waited longer.
On the way back, strangers were hugging each other, cars were honking, I high five random people until all of a sudden I ran into Ty Walker, another friend of mine. We both couldn’t believe what had just happened. I know many more people that were there, some inside, some outside, that I didn’t get to see that night. It was because there was so many people, practically the entire DMV coming together.